A Mexican wave: Soccer mania swells as World Cup opens
| Mexico City
It鈥檚 8 a.m. on a Saturday in Mexico City, but the main thoroughfare, Paseo de la Reforma, is already bursting with activity.
A long line, about 20 people wide, crawls down a cordoned-off section of the avenue. On the sidelines, a small group dances Zumba while bouncing soccer balls to the beat. Several women gather near a stone bench to change into high heels and pull on hoop skirts under their floral, ribbon-adorned traditional dance dresses. And a scrum of larger-than-life puppets called mojigangas, decked out in Mexico鈥檚 national soccer jersey, sways above the crowd.
And the party is only getting started.
Why We Wrote This
Mexico may have its challenges. But when it comes to being a host for the World Cup, it has its North American co-hosts beat. Mexicans are phenomenal soccer fans, as they declare themselves.
By late morning, tens of thousands of people are here, gathered to try to set a new Guinness World Record for the largest ola, or wave, outside of a stadium.
In most of the world, except the United States, the synchronized movement in which crowds of people stand up, throw their arms in the air, and then sit back down, is known as The Mexican Wave. It wasn鈥檛 invented here but was popularized at Mexico鈥檚 1986 World Cup, reaching far-flung soccer fans in Europe, Asia, and Africa watching those matches on television.
The fact that most people associate the wave with Mexico is, in part, a reflection of the country鈥檚 hosting prowess. This year鈥檚 104 World Cup matches will be played across Canada, the United States, and Mexico 鈥� group hosts for the tournament. Often framed as the junior partner in North American endeavors, Mexico has its share of challenges. But it is the real expert when it comes to hosting the world鈥檚 most-viewed sporting event: It hosted two World Cup tournaments before the U.S. ever had a chance, and this year will be Canada鈥檚 first. On June 11, the tournament kicks off with its inaugural match between Mexico and South Africa.
鈥淚 will never forget seeing the wave for the first time in 鈥�86,鈥� says Esteban Mejilla, soaking up the morning excitement with his green-jersey-clad dog, Boo. He says he isn鈥檛 surprised the wave is associated with Mexico, because 鈥渉istory tells the truth: Mexicans are phenomenal World Cup hosts.鈥�
Across the city there are happenings like the June 6 wave, pulling fans into the World Cup action, even if they can鈥檛 attend one of the pricey games. Art and cultural exhibitions are open in all corners of the capital (which says it has the most museums per capita in the world). Mexico City is also literally turning green as the rainy season gets started 鈥� and residents start donning their national-team swag to work and school.
鈥淲hat is going on today?鈥� a towering Dutch man asks a woman selling Mexican flags at the wave event. She smiles, shrugs, and tells him in Spanish that she鈥檚 selling two tricolor national flags for the price of one.
Bas Van Doorn traveled to Mexico in early June with friends, hoping to find tickets to the opening match. 鈥淲e decided to come here for the vibe,鈥� he says, referring to their decision to choose Mexico instead of one of the other host nations. 鈥淚n Holland, we love the World Cup, but we鈥檙e just more sober people. We would never have something like this,鈥� he says, motioning to the giant crowd of wave enthusiasts.
A typical wave moves at the speed of about 40 feet per second and requires about 25 people to set one off, according to a 2002 study published in the scientific journal Nature. Its origin story is still debated, but the now-global phenomenon likely began in the early 1980s at sporting events in the United States.
Across town, an exhibit of ephemera from past World Cups is on display at a show called 鈥淭he City That Never Stopped Playing.鈥� It celebrates all four of Mexico City鈥檚 mega soccer events 鈥� Mexico also hosted a major women鈥檚 tournament that was never endorsed by FIFA in 1971 鈥� largely through trinkets and treasures sourced from average citizens. Each one of these major tournaments left a fingerprint on the city, says show curator Alejandra de la Mora.
For its first World Cup in 1970, Mexico had a population of 48 million people (today, it鈥檚 closer to 133 million), and the capital had just inaugurated its first metro line the year prior. Color television sets were beginning to show up in living rooms here, and the city had recently opened its world-famous Estadio Azteca. Fans were collecting Juanito dolls, a cherubic player wearing a Mexico uniform and an oversize yellow sombrero.
In 1986, Mexico was hosting in the aftermath of one of the most destructive earthquakes in its history.
鈥淭here have always been problems, right? But that鈥檚 the magic of soccer, because it seeps through the cracks and touches everything. 鈥� and you start to feel something very different,鈥� says Ms. de la Mora. 鈥嬧�滻鈥檓 convinced that when the first match starts, that feeling of the goodness of humanity will be palpable, and we鈥檒l forget everything else. The city will be transformed into this city that knows how to welcome, that knows how to enjoy, and that knows how to host.鈥�
Mar铆a Bertha Ordu帽a Molina, who played center back on the 1971 women鈥檚 World Cup team, known as the Pioneers, says that 鈥渂ack then, soccer and the stadiums were reserved just for the guys.鈥� Her team still holds the Guinness World Record for the largest attendance at a women鈥檚 sporting event. Their final match against Denmark attracted 110,000 fans, filling Estadio Azteca to its capacity at the time.
Ms. Ordu帽a and several of her former teammates came out to try and clinch their second world record, at the wave event on June 6. 鈥淚 can see how much things have changed鈥� in the world of soccer and fandom since the 1970s, she says. 鈥淛ust look at all the girls and women here. The World Cup is for everyone.鈥�
But not everyone in Mexico is pumped about this year鈥檚 tournament. Many call attention to serious challenges that the World Cup host faces, such as the fact that there are more than 130,000 people missing in Mexico, or that some 90% of crimes are never reported to the authorities here. On top of that, a teachers union has been on strike for higher wages and a pension law reversal. And then the predictable headaches that always come with this sort of event: road closures, last-minute construction, and standstill traffic across the megacity.
Sandra Bernal, standing on the sidelines as people practiced the wave each time a woman onstage called out 鈥淓s la ola!鈥� says she has plenty of worries about the country, from violent crime, to the growing cost of living, to the politicians she doesn鈥檛 feel serve her.
鈥淏ut, I don鈥檛 know,鈥� she says of the criticism she has heard and seen about Mexico hosting. 鈥淢aybe that鈥檚 the point of all this: A few weeks to forget about our problems.鈥�
